Double Dates That Ended in Saving the Universe
by Laurus Nobilis
Summary: Clow, Yuuko, the Doctor and Romana try to have a few moments of peace. They can't.


**Four Double Dates That Ended in Saving the Universe**

**(and One That Didn't)**

**i. ****A tiny pub in London**

The pub was small and dark and much too crowded for its size, but Clow swore the beer was excellent and no one would doubt his taste. They squeezed around a table in a corner, trying to ignore the thick smoke and the noise around them. The drinks, it soon turned out, were as good as promised; enough to encourage conversation instead of complaining.

"It's not that bad, after all," the Doctor admitted. "How long have you been coming here?"

"Oh, it must be three hundred years or so, by now," Clow replied. "I've known every single owner."

"And don't they think that's strange?"

"I think they believe I'm a long string of descendants, too."

"Something smells funny," Romana interrupted them, with a delicate frown on her face. Yuuko chuckled, shaking her head.

"In here? Does it surprise you?"

"Well, no, but that's not what I meant. It's a smell that _shouldn't_ be in a pub. Don't you feel it?"

"Yeah, I think I do," the Doctor mused. "Smells like a chemical… Oh, I don't like this, I don't like this at all."

"Please tell me it's not the beer," Yuuko sighed, putting down her third – and already empty – mug.

"It's not the beer," he replied. "It's the _smoke_. We're breathing chemical fumes."

"I'll try to keep it contained," Clow said, as he stood up with a long-suffering sigh. "You better take everyone out until we find out what's going on here."

With some difficulty, they managed to leave their tiny table. Romana went straight to talk to the owner, hoping she'd convince him to evacuate. The Doctor was trying to find the origin of the smoke, but Yuuko grabbed his elbow before he could go far.

"Try not to blow up his favourite pub," she said, "or else we'll never hear the end of it."

**ii. ****Happy Hour at a bar in Nekvahr**

"Honestly, Reed," the Doctor said, "someday you'll have to take us to some place where we _don't_ end up saving the world."

"I have to point out, Doctor, that I had been visiting that pub for over three centuries and the only time I had a problem was when I took _you_ there."

"Oh, don't start arguing now," Yuuko sighed, rolling her eyes at them. "Can we at least try to have a quiet outing for once? _Please_?"

"What do you mean, for once?" asked the Doctor. "I choose good places to rest."

"Like when we went fishing," Romana intervened sweetly. "Or that time in Paris."

"_Exactly_ like that time in – hey. You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am on the side of Truth," she said.

"Well said," Yuuko agreed, raising her glass to toast with her. "And, also in the name of Truth, I'll have to admit that these are really good drinks. They'll be worth the trouble."

"What trouble? I don't see any trouble!" the Doctor insisted. Clow smiled gently at him.

"Not right here, perhaps," he said, "but the Order of the Purple Rose of Nekvahr is going to try to overthrow the government in about five minutes. They're putting up a spell around the Parliament as we speak."

"And they want all the key tourist attractions to blow up," Yuuko added. "That 'decoration' on the walls? Those are runes. We've got, oh, three minutes now?"

"I think we'll add this to your list of badly chosen vacation spots," Romana said calmly as she put down her glass.

**iii. A**** festival at a temple in Tokyo**

They were attracting quite a few stares as they walked across the temple, among a crowd that wasn't used to foreigners at all. Clow looked out of place enough, and it was even worse for the Doctor and Romana. It didn't help that, although Romana was at least wearing a yukata, the Doctor had yet to master the subtle art of blending in, or even choosing clothes that were vaguely appropriate for the season.

However, they didn't stay for long in the most crowded parts of the temple. Yuuko had promised to show them the scrying pond.

"I know you two aren't really interested in fortune telling," she said, "but I'm sure you'll appreciate the… ah, that's not right," she finished, and staggered a little as she turned around. Clow frowned slightly at her reaction.

"What's wrong? There shouldn't be any problems," he said, leaning forwards to get a better look. Then he turned slightly greenish and looked away without even trying to speak.

"Well, that's interesting," Romana said, peeking into the pond with curiosity. "It shouldn't be here, of course, but it's interesting. Did you know you have a time loop in the pond?"

"It's news to me," Yuuko muttered. "Can't you get rid of it? It's giving me a headache."

"The fish don't look too happy either," the Doctor pointed out. "Funny how your powers work, most humans wouldn't even notice this. Tell me, Yuuko, do you know of anything that could be causing – I don't think the sake is going to _help_ with your headache."

**iv. ****The peaceful parks of Da'r Zil**

"Ah, what a lovely place to have a picnic!" Yuuko exclaimed, lying down on the grass and staring at the trees that surrounded them. The landscape was very pretty, not too different from some places on Earth, but still with a certain otherworldly quality that made it unique. The colour of the leaves wasn't quite the same as at home, for example, and the smell of the flowers was also a little different. "You do have great taste, Romana."

"Indeed," Clow added, as he passed the Doctor a plate with homemade biscuits. "It's a very nice park."

"Thank you," Romana replied. Then she looked at them with a knowing smile. "I'm glad you appreciate it. But, unlike certain people, I can deal with the consequences of an idea that went wrong. So if there is trouble coming and you know about it, I think it'd be better if you said so directly."

"Ah, well…" Clow began to say, a little uncomfortable, but the Doctor interrupted him before he could go any further than that.

"Romana, are sure that this is a pacifistic planet?"

"Of course it is," she told him, as if he'd asked something entirely obvious. "What's wrong?"

"Well, then, I think it just got invaded," he said, and then he pointed at several spaceships in the distance. They didn't look very friendly.

"So much for our picnic," Yuuko sighed as she stood up, getting ready for work. Romana simply shook her head in defeat.

"Next time," said Clow, "we should all just go to my house."

**v. Clow's house in Tomoeda**

They might not have had any luck going _out_ together, but at least they were having fun. That was the important part, after all… that, and having a good time without the need to stop and save the universe. Again.

So they'd decided to stay at Clow's house this time, and now the only strange things around them were the ones they were already used to. Yue was dutifully chasing Cerberus all over the place, even though the Doctor had told him that it didn't matter, not at all, he had plenty of jelly babies in the TARDIS and there was no need to fret over a single stolen bag. Soel and Larg had climbed onto K9's back and he carried them in circles around the table while they pestered him with questions about everything in the universe. It was a quiet afternoon, really.

"I have to admit it, this was a good idea," the Doctor said. "It's not exactly new and exciting, but I guess it's the best we can hope for."

"Oh, all is well as long as we have snacks and drinks," Yuuko laughed, as she poured sake to everyone. "That's the important bit!"

"Not the good company?" Romana asked, amused. Before Yuuko could answer that, it was Clow who spoke, looking fondly at the Mokonas and the robot dog.

"Of course. Family reunions are always the best, after all."

There was a moment of awkward silence as other three pointedly looked away from each other, and then they all started talking about the weather at the same time.


End file.
